How Many Euro Pallets Fit in a 40ft Container?
A 40ft container takes 20 to 25 Euro pallets on the floor in a single layer: 20 with every pallet loaded the same way, 25 with one lane longways and one lane turned. Counts come from the 12032 x 2352 mm usable interior with no overhang and no stacking.
By pallet type
Other pallets in a 40ft container
Euro 1200 x 800 pallets in other containers
The short answer
20 Euro pallets loaded straight (10 down by 2 across, long side down the length), or 25 with one lane longways and one lane turned. Single tier, no overhang.
Twenty-five is the figure on most shipping-line loading sheets for Euro pallets in a 40ft, and this is where it comes from: one lane of 10 longways beside one lane of 15 turned. Loaded the plain way, two abreast, you stop at 20 and give up a 752 mm strip down one side.
Internal dimensions used
- 40 ft Standard Dry: 12032 x 2352 x 2393 mm usable interior (474 x 93 x 94 in), 26,700 kg payload.
- Euro pallet (EUR / EPAL 1, 1200 x 800 mm): 1200 x 800 mm footprint (47.2 x 31.5 in), 144 mm deck, 1,500 kg dynamic rating.
Usable figures sit a little under nominal to allow for corrugation, posts and the door frame; the count is a plain grid with no overhang.
Long side or short side down the container
Longways (1200 mm side down the length): 10 down x 2 across = 20 pallets, 32 mm spare at the doors and 752 mm across. Floor used 67.8%.
Turned (800 mm side down the length): 15 down x 1 across = 15 pallets, 32 mm spare at the doors and 1152 mm across. Floor used 50.9%.
Mixed lanes: 1 lane longways (10 each) beside 1 lane turned (15 each) = 25 pallets. The lanes use 2000 mm of the 2352 mm width and floor used rises to 84.8%. Two turned lanes will not fit side by side, so one of each is the best use of the width; the calculator above reports the straight 20.
What changes with double stacking
Two tiers need every loaded pallet, deck included, at or under 1196 mm in the 2393 mm interior: goods no higher than 1052 mm on a 144 mm deck. The 1500 mm load preset here (1644 mm with the deck) is one tier only. Under 1052 mm the floor count doubles to 50, if the bottom tier can carry the top.
Weight usually bites first. At the full 1,500 kg pallet rating the 26,700 kg payload caps the load at 17 pallets, before the floor is even full. Real loads run lighter, but add the total up before planning a second tier.
The same Euro pallet in the other three
| Container | Interior L x W (mm) | Longways | Turned | Best floor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20ft Container | 5898 x 2352 | 8 | 7 | 11 mixed |
| 40ft Container (this page) | 12032 x 2352 | 20 | 15 | 25 mixed |
| 40ft High Cube | 12032 x 2352 | 20 | 15 | 25 mixed |
| 53ft Trailer | 16002 x 2591 | 39 | 40 | 40 turned |
Check it with the calculators
The calculator above is preset to this pallet and container; change the load height or add a pallet weight to see tiers and payload. For other pallet sizes in the same box, use pallets in a 40ft container or the 40ft container load calculator; for any pairing, the pallets per container calculator. To plan the pallet itself, see the Euro pallet calculator.